The Charge

Giving the Devil his due!

The Case

The further adventures of Sister Rosette, the gun-wielding nun, and Chrono, her demon companion, are chronicled in this second release of episodes from the Chrono Crusade anime series. Here's a quick rundown of the installments contained on this disc:

• Chapter Five: "Militia"
Sister Kate forbids Rosette to search for Joshua, her missing brother. Minister Remington tells Kate she can join in the search for Joshua if she passes the trials and becomes a member of Militia, the Church's elite band of warrior exorcists. Rosette accepts the offer and enters the combat training ground, unaware Sister Kate has sent Azmaria in to begin exorcist training. Remington calls off the exercise, but not before he has unleashed a demon as part of Rosette's test. The demon possesses Azmaria, and Rosette must find a way to save the young girl.

• Chapter Six: "Jewel Witch"
Sister Kate reluctantly dispatches Rosette, Chrono, and Azmaria to a downtown warehouse to stop a gang of corpse smugglers. Our heroes run into Satella, a bounty hunter/witch who can summon a knight made of pure crystal. Satella discerns Chrono's true nature, and questions why a demon is allowed to fight alongside members of the Order of Magdalene. Later, the three companions and Satella team up to stop a particularly nasty mummy. Satella reveals that she came to America from Germany looking for missing family members.

• Chapter Seven: "The Devil"
Aion, the demon who kidnapped Joshua, begins a series of church desecrations. The Order of Magdalene attempts to repair the seal they had constructed around Central Park (a focal point for mystical activity); this seal is the only thing preventing Aion from launching an all-out attack. Satella arrives to help and summons her knight, only to see him shattered by Aion.

• Chapter Eight: "Falling Rain"
Rosette goes to pick up Remington at the train station, little knowing she is walking into a trap. Rizel, a demon spider, has taken over the minds of everyone in the station; Rizel tells Rosette she knows where Joshua is, and will take Rosette to him. Rosette agrees to go with Rizel, and Remington tries to stop her, but Rizel catches him in a web. Sister Kate sends Chrono and Azamria to the station to rescue Rosette and Remington. Remington later shows Rosette a picture of Joshua, telling her they have a chance to find and save her brother.

I actually enjoyed these episodes more than I did the first batch. The overall tone here is a little darker, and there's a better balance between the serious and silly elements of the plot (especially in the seventh and eighth episodes).
By no means is Chrono Crusade a classic, but it ain't half bad.

The audio/video presentation is quite pleasing, and is on par with that of the first release. The transfer is very good, although there's just a bit of edge enhancement. The Japanese stereo audio mix is a little too screen-centric (and throwing Pro Logic decoding its way doesn't do much); the English 5.1 dub is quite active, although the voice acting leaves much to be desired. Extras include some production sketches, clean opening/closing animation, an alternate opening sequence for the fifth episode, previews, and another installment of Azmaria's Extra Classes (this time focusing on some of the weapons used in the series).

If you're already a fan, then you should be pleased with this release. If you haven't already given Chrono Crusade a shot—well, what are you waiting for? C'mon, it's got a cute chick with a gun, and that's almost never a bad thing.

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